Friday, February 2, 2007

Four Are Charged In January 5 Assault

Four suspects have been charged with malicious wounding in connection with a Jan. 5 assault that occurred outside the World of Sports, according to Halifax County Sheriff Jeff Oakes.
Terrence Lamont Faulkner, 26, of Rosehill Apartments in South Boston, Jesse James West, 24, of Lower Liberty Road in Nathalie and Pecola Faulkner, 18, of Bold Springs Road are in custody, Oakes said.
A fourth suspect, Jason Edward Bowen, of Temple Hill Road in Scottsburg, turned himself in yesterday at the Sheriff’s Office, Oakes added.
The charges stem from a Jan. 5 assault that left victim, Tone Sims Garrett Jr., of Cage Trail in South Boston, unconscious and lying on the pavement, according to investigators.
Garrett was transported to an area emergency room where he was treated for a head injury and released.
According to the witnesses, the assault occurred just outside the bowling alley entrance and involved numerous assailants.
“Deputies and investigators attempted to locate additional witnesses to the assault throughout the week but were unsuccessful,” Oakes said. “The witnesses identified four suspects allegedly involved in the assault and warrants were obtained from the magistrate on January 11.”
Deputies D.H. Barksdale and S.W. Gilliam are continuing the investigation and ask anyone with information about the incident to call the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office or Crimestoppers at 476-TIPS.
South Boston investigators are also following up leads in the town, Oakes said.
All four suspects are being held in the Halifax Regional Jail without bail, Oakes added.
In other police business, Linda Rumbough and Thomas Betterton, both of Poplar Creek, Street in South Boston, were charged with the reckless handling of a firearm and animal cruelty.
The alleged offenses occurred Dec. 20.
Deputy W. Yancey issued the summonses.

December Unemployment
Rate Drops In County

The unemployment rate for Halifax County and surrounding areas dropped in December, reflecting a state-wide trend, according to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC).
Halifax County had an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent for December, three-tenths of a percent lower than the November rate of 6.1 percent, the VEC reported.
A total of 935 persons out of a total labor force of 16,005 were looking for work in December, the commission said.
Neighboring areas also saw a decline in unemployment figures, including Charlotte County which saw its December unemployment rate drop to 5.0 percent from a 5.3 percent rate the month before.
Mecklenburg County saw its December unemployment rate drop to 4.2 percent from a 4.8 percent rate in November, while the unemployment rates in both Pittsylvania and Henry counties also decreased.
In Pittsylvania County, the December unemployment rate dropped to 5.2 percent, compared to 5.8 percent in November, while Henry County’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent in December, compared to 4.7 percent in November.
The cities of Danville and Martinsville, struggling with the decline of jobs in the textile industry, still had lower unemployment rates in December, Danville at 8.0 percent rate and Martinsville at 6.8 percent.
Those compared to a 9.1 percent unemployment rate for Danville in November and a 7.3 percent rate for Martinsville.
The Danville metro area saw a large decline of almost a full percentage point in its unemployment figures for December, down from 7.1 percent in November to 6.3 percent.
The unemployment rate for the Commonwealth of Virginia also dropped slightly in December, from 2.8 percent to 2.7 percent, while the unemployment rate for the United States as a whole remained steady at 4.3 percent.

Burning Law Begins Feb. 15

The calendar may not say it and the weather may not feel like it, but the spring fire season in Virginia starts February 15, which is the day Virginia’s 4 p.m. Burning Law goes into effect.
The law prohibits burning before 4 p.m. each day from February 15 through April 30, if the fire is in, or within 300 feet of woodland, brush lands or fields containing dry grass or other flammable materials.
During late winter and early spring, downed trees, branches and leaves become “forest fuels” that increase the danger of forest fires, according to John Miller of the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).
The majority of woodland and field fires in Halifax County last year were the result of debris burns, according to Alex Williamson, forest technician for VDOF.
Williamson said that there were 37 forest and open land fires in Halifax County during 2006.
A total of 108 acres of forest land burned, while fire consumed 28 acres of open land, he noted.
The vast majority of those, 21, were debris burns, while arson accounted for five, and smoking-related causes for three.
Hot ashes and lightning strikes accounted for two fires each, while two were caused by children, according to Williamson. He said that one fire was caused by equipment use and one by the spread of a house fire.
He urged people to take extra precautions when burning debris, the biggest cause of woodland and open land fires in the county last year.
“You should burn late in the day after the wind has died down, and not in dry conditions,” said Williamson.
Those who heat with wood stoves or fireplaces should take extra care with disposal of hot ashes, he warned.
“You should let hot coals cool off for a couple of days before disposing of them, and make sure you dispose of them in a place away from grass, wood or any flammable material, preferably in dirt,” he said.
In 2006, there were 1,267 wildfires that burned 13,664 of the estimated 16 million acres of forest land in Virginia, according to VDOF, a 64 percent increase in the number and 181 percent increase in the acreage burned during 2005.
VDOF reported 773 woodland and field fires in Virginia during 2005, with the majority occurring in the very dry spring.
Wild land fires in 2006 in Virginia caused $8.5 million in damage to timber and $2.8 million in damage to homes (14) and other structures (48).
Of the 1,267 wildfires in 2006, 462 were caused by people burning debris or yard waste; 189 were arson; 93 were equipment use; 72 were due to smoking; 67 were started by children; 55 were caused by lightning; 33 were related to the railroads; 13 were campfires; and the rest were classified as miscellaneous causes.
Areas affected by hurricanes, tornadoes or strong thunderstorms are of particular concern to the VDOF. In addition to creating more forest fuel, large numbers of downed trees make firefighting more difficult and dangerous.

Obituaries

Marshall Jackson

Marshall Jackson, 102, of 406 Oak Lane South Boston, died January 29, 2007, at Halifax Regional Hospital. Originally from Washington D.C., he resided in South Boston for 19 years. He is survived by his extended family at South Boston Manor.
A memorial service will be held February 6, at 2 p.m. at South Boston Manor with Rev. Shirley Woody officiating.

Bessie Mae Betts Jones

Bessie Mae Betts Jones, 69, of Greensboro, N.C., formerly of Halifax County, died January 29, 2007, in Greensboro.
She was born April 11, 1937, to Lottie B.Betts and the late John L. Woody, and was married to the late Albert O. Jones.
Memorial services for Mrs. Jones will be held tomorrow, February 3, at 2 p.m. at St. Mark Baptist Church in Alton with Pastor H.M. Pettiford officiating.

Mary Louise Mason Williams

Mary Louise Mason Williams, 90, of Acorn Road, Nathalie died January 30, 2007, at her home. She was the wife of the late Wylie Nathaniel Williams.
Mrs. Williams was born in Charlotte County September 19, 1916, daughter of the late Emmitt Randolph Mason and Callie Viar Mason. She was a member of Staunton River Baptist Church.
Survivors include one daughter, Kay W. Crews; four grandchildren, Dale Crews and wife, Jamie, Crystal Crews and friend, Anthony, Stacy Williams, and Michael Williams and friend, Shavonne, all of Nathalie; six great-grandchildren, Alexandria Crews, Kasey Crews, Makenzie Crews-Lamberth, Ericka Walker, Dillion Williams, and Si’ena Garrett, all of Nathalie; three sisters-in-law, Thelma Mason of Rustburg, Lorraine Williams of Brookneal, and Annie Mae Williams, of Sandston.
A son, W. Bruce Williams; and a son-in-law, Joe W. Crews, preceded Mrs. Williams in death.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow, February 3, at Staunton River Baptist Church by the Revs. Jerry Stanley and Rodney Barwick. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at her daughter’s residence, 3051 Acorn Road, Nathalie.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston 24592.

Short-Handed Comets Outmatched By Person

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
No coach is pleased after seeing his team take a 13-point loss.
Halifax County High School coach Ron Parson wasn’t pleased with the fact that his team had fallen 54-41 to Person High School here Wednesday night but, considering the circumstances, Parson had reason to smile.
Illness prevented point guard Morgan Brown, Allen Stephens and Marcus Stovall from playing and two other players, Jamall Bumpass and Durrell Chandler, were absent due to a death in their family.
Considering that the Comets were missing three starters and a pair of key reserves and the fact that the Comets had faced a solid Rockets team that had entered the game with a 16-3 slate and having won 11 of its previous 12 games, the outcome wasn’t at all disappointing.
“I told the guys I was real proud of the effort,” Parson said after the game.
“I thought everybody played hard. I thought everybody gave us what they could give us. They gave us everything they had. You have to be pleased with that.”
Michael Ferrell played the point guard spot for the Comets, the first time he has played point guard, and did a commendable job, scoring 15 points in the process and leading the team in scoring.
Leon Glenn chipped in eight points playing down on the post, and Rodale Pippen and Pierre Brandon added five points each. Russell White scored four points and Ishermal Small and Chad Waltman scored two points each.
The Comets led one time briefly in the first quarter and battled their neighboring border rival to a one-point, 13-12 game through the first quarter.
Halifax kept the game close through the first two minutes of the second quarter. However, after White scored to pull the Comets to within a point at 17-16 with 6:08 left in the first half, Person High mounted a 15-3 run over the remainder of the half and held a 34-19 lead at halftime.
A three-point bucket from Pippen with 4:55 left in the half was the Comets’ last score of the half as a combination of turnovers and a spate of cold shooting left the Comets trailing by 15 points.
Halifax County didn’t give up.
The Comets clawed their way back into contention, moving to within nine points on a basket from Smalls with 2:46 left in the third quarter and getting a basket from White with just over a minute left to pull to within seven.
The Rockets got a basket from Antonio Glass with three seconds left and held a nine-point 43-34 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Pippen hit a basket to start the fourth quarter to bring the Comets back to within seven points at 43-36. That was as close as the Comets would get.
The Rockets, with the help of a pair of baskets from Lamont King, went on a quick 8-0 run that left the Comets trailing 51-36 with 4:51 left in the game.
Halifax County never recovered and the Rockets held their ground to seal the 54-41 win.
Parson said the sequence after Pippen’s basket to start the fourth quarter was pivotal in the outcome.
“We came down and took a bad shot and the next trip down the floor we turned the ball over,” Parson noted.
We went from seven down back to nine down and then to 11 down. You can’t do that against a team of that quality.
“What you saw tonight comes from inexperience,” added Parson.
“You play real well and then you make three or four mistakes in a row and veteran teams like Person High School don’t do that.”

Lady Comets Drop Close Game To Person

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
The Comets varsity girls basketball team has dropped another close game to Person High, this time losing 36-34 Wednesday in Roxboro.
Taniqua Younger led Halifax with nine points, while three others, Lashunda Davis, Talesha Medley and Key Ferrell, had seven, Ferrell with a pair of three pointers.
Shauna Harris added four points for the Comets, who fell to 9-10 on the year with the loss.
Person had two players finish in double figures, Tara Royster with 11 and Jasmine King with 10 points, while Gabrielle Cameron and Danielle Lunsford each scored four points.
Wednesday’s setback was the third this season for the Lady Comets against the Rockets, and the second by a two-point margin.
The Rockets edged the Comets 55-53 in the finals of the BB&T Holiday Classic in December and again defeated the Comets 55-45 here just four days later.
The third game of the season between the two rivals took on a defensive tone, with each team hitting less than 30 percent of its shots from the floor.
Person scored the first five points of the game and that proved to be the largest lead of the contest for either team.
The game had six ties and eight lead changes, with the difference coming at the free throw line.
Person hit 11 of 15 free throws in the second half, including two by Stacey Perry with 8.1 seconds left that gave the Rockets a 36-32 lead.
Davis scored six of her seven points in the first quarter, Ferrell added a trey and Younger a basket. Medley added one of two foul shots, while Royster hit two treys for Person, as the teams were tied at 12 after one period.
Defense took over in the second quarter, with each team scoring only five points to create a 17-17 halftime tie.
Younger and Harris were the only Comets to hit field goals and Ferrell hit one of two foul shots, while Courtney Bumphus hit two foul shots for Person and King added three points.
The teams were tied again after each scored ten third-quarter points, Ferrell with her second trey of the game, Younger with five points and Medley with two.
That made the score 27-27, but the Comets could score only seven points in the fourth quarter, Medley with four, Harris with two and Davis with one of two from the foul line.
King and Lunsford had baskets for Person, which was five of seven down the stretch and 14 of 21 for the game.
The Comets were three of four from the foul line in the final quarter, but six of 14 for the game, and that may have been the difference.
The Lady Comets return to Western Valley District action for the remainder of the season, beginning tonight at Patrick Henry, with game time at 7:30 p.m.
Note: Kelly Snow of the Roxboro Courier-Times contributed to this story.

Grapplers Split District Quad

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
The Halifax County High School wrestling team continued to improve on what has been its best season in several years by splitting its four matches in Tuesday’s second Western Valley District regular-season tournament.
Halifax County picked up eight wins enroute to a 42-25 win over GW and picked up eight wins in a 48-35 win over Patrick Henry.
On the down side, the Comets dropped a 54-18 decision to E.C. Glass and, in a match in which the Comets forfeited seven weight class contests, the Comets bowed to Franklin County 78-0.
The split of the four matches put the Comets wrestlers at 10-15 overall in dual matches and gives them three wins against Western Valley District teams.
“They wrestled well,” Comets coach Brady Taylor said of his grapplers.
“The biggest thing was that some of our kids beat kids that they had lost to in the first district tournament. That is a good confidence booster heading into the Western Valley District Tournament.”
Senior Troy Ponce, who competes for the Comets in the 140-pound weight class, was the biggest winner, going 3-0 on the day with all of his wins coming by pins.
“Troy had a big tournament,” Taylor noted.
“One of them came against a kid from Patrick Henry that he had lost to earlier. I sat him out in the Franklin County match. He had bruised his knee and I didn’t want to take any chances of him possibly getting injured any further with the district tournament coming up.”
Also having a big day was senior Brent Messick who scored three wins in his four matches, two by a pin. Richie Wright, the Comets’ 285-pounder, had a good tournament as well, getting three wins, two by a pin.
Josh Brooks, the Comets’ 135-pounder, and Josh Fallen, the Comets’ 171-pounder, also had multiple wins.
Brooks had two wins, one by a forfeit, and Fallen scored two wins by forfeits.
Ralph Tuck, B.J. Jones, Shayna Oakes, Jonathan Chappell, and Justin Perkins each had one win.
Halifax County High School’s grapplers will have the final regular-season match on Wednesday, February 7 when it hosts Nottoway at 6 p.m. for what will be the annual Senior Night event.
Halifax Co. 42 GW 25
145 – Richard Giggetts (GW) pinned Shayna Oakes (HC) 1:17.
152 – Jamey Hughes (GW) pinned Jonathan Chappell (HC) 1:46.
160 – Justin Ferrell (GW) won by forfeit.
171 – Jonathan Fallen (HC) won by forfeit.
189 – Justin Perkins (HC) pinned Warner Watkins (GW) 2:31.
215 – Doug Harris (GW) won by forfeit.
285 – Richie Wright (HC) won by forfeit.
103 – Double forfeit.
112 – Brent Messick (HC) pinned R. Harris (GW) 3:53.
119 – Ralph Tuck (HC) won by forfeit.
125 - Ronnell Webb (GW) dec. B.J. Jones (HC) 15-8.
130 – Adrian Oliver (HC) won by forfeit.
135 – Josh Brooks (HC) won by forfeit.
140 - Troy Ponce (HC) pinned Shannon Wilson (GW) 4:24.
Halifax Co. 48 Patrick Henry 35
152 – Jonathan Chappell (HC) won by forfeit.
160 – C. Underwood (PH) won by forfeit.
171 – Jonathan Fallen (HC) won by forfeit.
189 – Brown (PH) pinned Justin Perkins (HC) 3:02.
215 – Preston (PH) won by forfeit.
289 – Wright (HC) won by forfeit.
103 – Brent Messick (HC) pinned C. Underwood (PH) 1:27.
112 – Winslow (PH) pinned Ralph Tuck (HC) 1:26.
119 – Alexander (PH) won by forfeit.
125 – B.J. Jones (HC) won by forfeit.
130 - Travis Lee (PH) tech. fall Adrian Oliver (HC) 17-2.
135 – Josh Brooks (HC) pinned Hill (PH) 3:28.
140 – Troy Ponce (HC) pinned Ciafardini (PH) 1:10.
145 – Shayna Oakes (HC) won by forfeit.
E.C. Glass 54 Halifax Co. 18
160 – Ibarra (ECG) won by forfeit.
171 – Jack Collins (ECG) dec. Jonathan Fallen (HC) 13-6.
189 – Poe (ECG) dec. Justin Perkins (HC) 10-4.
215 – Bryan Bonnell (ECG) won by forfeit.
285 – Richie Wright (HC) pinned Hicks (ECG) 1:05.
103 – Brent Messick (HC) won by forfeit.
112 – MacCormac (ECG) pinned Ralph Tuck (HC) 1:22.
119 – Schumacher (ECG) won by forfeit.
125 – Nick Moon (ECG) pinned B.J. Jones (HC) 5:25.
130 – Jonathan Stump (ECG) pinned Adrian Oliver (HC) 16 Sec.
135 – Christopher Robbins (ECG) pinned Josh Brooks (HC) 2:29.
140 – Troy Ponce (HC) pinned Joshua Woodring (ECG) 5:32.
145 – Shaw (ECG) pinned Jonathan Chappell (HC) 16 Sec.
152 – Double Forfeit.
Franklin Co. 78 Halifax Co. 0
171 – Joe Bisnett (FC) won by forfeit.
189 – Frankie Vincent (FC) pinned Justin Perkins (HC) 1:59.
215 – M. Mason (FC) won by forfeit.
285 – LaMarka Casey (FC) pinned Richie Wright (HC) 1:18.
103 – David Carey (FC) pinned Brent Messick (HC) 1:08.
112 – Zack Brooks (FC) won by forfeit.
119 – Double forfeit.
125 – Cory Muse (FC) pinned B.J. Jones (HC) 1:07.
130 – Justin Smith (FC) won by forfeit.
135 – Jamie Carr (FC) pinned Josh Brooks (HC) 53 Sec.
140 – James Smith (FC) won by forfeit.
145 – Zach Pruitt (FC) pinned Jonathan Chappell (HC) 1:08.
152 – Double forfeit.
160 – Double forfeit.
Other Scores
Franklin County 54 E.C. Glass 18
E.C. Glass 57 Patrick Henry 18
E.C. Glass 60 GW 12